“I find The Wire & The Sopranos to be inherently unartful”

"Also the films of Martin Scorsese. I think it's bad, bad, bad, bad, bad writing..."

This week on Ireland Unfiltered, Dion Fanning was joined by L.A. Confidential author James Ellroy. A man whose gripping stories are reflected in his own incredible life story, he is not a man to mince his words. Having also discussed how he found happiness at the age of 71, Ellroy spoke with Dion about some of the most popular works of modern drama; namely The Wire, The Sopranos, and the movies of Martin Scorsese. As popular as they may be, the renowned author said they weren't exactly what he would be interested in himself:

I don't like the Sopranos, I don't like 'Scor-sleazy' either. I hate that mob stuff. Yeah, I don't dig the mob stuff.

The author of several best-sellers that tell their own tales of crime that include what he calls the "granular details," Ellroy said that he prefers to not look at things from the criminal's perspective. Just as we are all a product of our own upbringing, his work is influenced by growing up in California. "I got the West Coast, Protestant sensibility," he said. "I like the cop dramas... I find The Wire and The Sopranos to be inherently unartful." You can watch the full episode below, where he talks about everything from his mother's murder when he was 10-years-old to the amount of hard work it took to get him to where he is. Ireland Unfiltered, brought to you in partnership with Carlsberg Unfiltered, will be available everywhere you get your podcasts and on YouTube every Tuesday.